Turin by Jean-Paul Hévin

This unusually-shaped Turin figures is amongst the pastries which draws one’s attention in Jean-Paul Hévin’s pastry shop. Underneath the chocolate blanket which covers the cake’s surface, the various shapes which can be discerned spark our curiosity, and prompt us to uncover its secrets.

Beneath this thin bitter chocolate layer, Turin hides a candied chestnut mousse, set on an almond shortbread containing blackcurrant jam in its center. The cake has a maximum length of 105 mm, a maximum width of 50 mm, and a maximum heights of 49 mm. The specimen we purchased weights 77 grams and costs 5.80 euros.

The chocolate on the surface creates a very supple skin, which enables one to delve into the underlying mousse without spreading it or deforming the rest of the cake. Upon first biting into it, this chocolate skin sticks to the palate and the mousse then spreads in the mouth. The texture of this mousse could actually be described as powdery, as it resembles a sort of emulsion. The taste of candied chestnut is not very pronounced. On the other hand, it has an overpowering taste of alcohol. As for the shortbread, it offers a nice almond flavor, but the taste of blackcurrant is very discreet. We find the transition between the mousse’s powdery texture and the shortbread’s crumbly one interesting and well executed.

VERDICT

This cake delivers nicely in its textures, but the flavor of chestnut comes off as rather bland, having likely been overshadowed by the strong taste of alcohol, which regrettably steals the show. We find a nice assortment of textures, but the flavors would gain from being re-adjusted. Despite its eye-catching appearance, this cake fails to obtain Cake Justice’s full favors.